


Free Thoughts on the West End Performance of Hamilton

by Nemainofthewater



Category: Hamilton - Fandom, Hamilton - Miranda, Hamilton West End
Genre: Gen, Meta, Rambling, Spoilers, You Have Been Warned, lots of rambling, thoughts on the west end performance, while on a post show adrenaline high
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-03-13 14:20:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13572369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nemainofthewater/pseuds/Nemainofthewater
Summary: Hear Ye, hear Ye, I am Nemainofthewater, and I present to you free thoughts on the West End Production of Hamilton. Unsurprisingly, there are many SPOILERS not only in content, but also in staging, so please avoid reading this if you don't want to be spoiled.





	Free Thoughts on the West End Performance of Hamilton

**Author's Note:**

> All my notes are probably all over the place chronologically as in act I, I was desperately trying to remember notes, and in act II I was desperately trying to find space where I hadn't already written, to limited success. Also I was literally right at the back of the theatre, and probably didn't catch everything.

Hear Ye, hear Ye, I am Nemainofthewater, and I present to you free thoughts on the West End Production of Hamilton. I spent a significant part of the first act being amazed, but also wanting to talk about everything. Evidently, my friends, not to mention the rest of the theatre would have probably thrown me out of the building if I had done that, so instead during the interval I frantically scribbled down everything I could remember remarking on, using my pen and the printed email confirmation that I had bought Hamilton ticket.

(I may have also shouted at my friends to not talk to me while doing so. It’s a blur, sir.)

First of all, the production was amazing. I was a bit worried going in that I would be disappointed, as I had listened to the cast recording so many times, but it definitely lived up to the hype and my expectations! It was so amazing seeing things that I had only heard (over, and over, and over…)

I want to just take this time to warn for SPOILERS not only in content, but also in staging, so please avoid reading this if you don’t want to be spoiled.

 

ACT I

-Jamael Westman, who played Hamilton, was much taller than expected! It was really funny at times, especially while confronting Burr, as he literally loomed.

-In “Aaron Burr, sir” Hamilton interrupted Burr while he was reading. I would also be upset if someone did this to me, and I found my sympathy for Burr increased.

-Burr bought everyone shots! I mean, he was there agreeing that they needed a revolution, he was just also trying to ignore the loud people with his book.

-Hamilton is basically a show about significant coat changes. More than that though, I feel that Hamilton’s (and to a lesser extent, the rest of the casts’ coats) were camouflage of a sort, a veneer of soldier, student, statesman etc that they used to present themselves to the world. The two times that Hamilton was without his coat were both emotionally vulnerable moments (One Last Time, and Quiet Uptown).

-During Satisfied, Washington was very much a father figure, brushing down Hamilton’s coat. I mean, if it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck Alexander…

-The pen is mightier than the sword, yet Washington presents both to Hamilton (the quill during Right Hand Man, and the sword during Yorktown). This is probably very symbolic??

-There was a surprising amount of camaraderie between Hamilton and Mulligan, especially during the first few scenes. I mean, they were friends, but I was surprised for some reason? Honestly, Hamilton was drowning in father figures: Mulligan was 36 I think (??) to Hamilton’s 21 in 1776, and it was with him that Hamilton boarded during his first few weeks in New York.

-Lee was surprisingly young and had spiky hair. It was amazing, and totally not the image I had of him in my head (missing fingers from Italian duels, and with a pack of dogs following him)

-During Farmer Refuted, if Burr fell for the whole, ‘look behind you’ trick then he deserved all the face palming that came from not stopping Hamilton Alex-ing.

-All the coats are extra!! Super extra. They twirl very dramatically while dancing.

-Possibly over analysing, but when Burr was on the upper levels of the stage, he was always to the left of Hamilton. Sinister??

-George III loses his cloak and mantel between his first and second song. Symbolically losing his right to rule (America)?

-There was a funny mike malfunction right at the beginning!! But everyone recovered really well.

-It was great that Eliza and Angelica were looking over the scenes that they were not directly involved in: perhaps signalling the fact that they were guarding Hamilton’s history, and they were the ones telling his story

-During Non-Stop, Burr and Hamilton were illuminated by two squares at one point: they were largely separate but touched at one point. Showing the different nature of the two men despite the fact that they had similarities??

-Hamilton’s signature colour during most of his time as a young statesman was green: is this green for new ideas, spring etc?? Or green for jealousy and his need to rise above his station? Or both?

-Burr and Hamilton have the floofiest shirts

-I really liked the passage of letters!

-Lafayette came back from France with not only guns and ships, but also the most fancy of all outfits

-I really liked the redcoat transition!! And they were moving like toy soldiers as well??

-Peggy and Angelica are the sassiest!

-Black is Burr’s signature colour: signifies not only his more sombre nature, but also the fact that he is also narrating and therefore is in mourning?

-During the 10 duel Commandments, Number I have no idea, when Burr and Hamilton are trying to negotiate a peace, Burr is conciliatory and moves toward Hamilton: Hamilton stays still

-I wish that a chorus followed me around to present me a desk whenever I needed one

-I loved all the background events, with one standing out that was a soldier taking off his coat and using it as a pillow to fall asleep on

-The Story of Tonight Reprise was in the minor key (I believe)

 

ACT II

-Hamilton and Jefferson from the offset have the most dramatic coats

-Jason Pennycooke, playing Jefferson/Lafayette had a lot of jumping around in What’d I Miss. How did he not fall over?

-Once again I have a note about how funny it was that Hamilton literally loomed over everyone else. I think I was probably talking about Cabinet Battle #1 and him looming over Jefferson

-Hamilton becomes less sympathetic Act 2?? Probably due to Laurens’ death: he needs to establish his legacy and has been reminded that all men must die…

-There is a surprising lack of ponytails in this Hamilton cast

-Was MacBeth chosen because of its prominence in West Wing? (Episodes such as Birnam Woods etc)

-Looking at costume colours again. Burr, Washington, Madison and Philip are all in muted tones, greys and blacks. Hamilton and Jefferson are bright colours (purple and green), ones that clash. Maria is also a bright colour, red, but she kind of compliments Hamilton instead of clashing. Eliza is in blue, soft pastels:=peacemaker? Angelica is also red but not so vivid. Peggy is yellow:= childlike colour to show youngest??

-Washington has a fancy chair for the cabinet battles!!

-The first part of the Room Where it Happens is like a large eff you to Burr

-Hamilton and Jefferson are careful to move the tails of their coats out of the way when sitting. Hamilton was a notorious clotheshorse? Burr doesn’t really seem to care if he’s crushing his coat

-The tablecloth/jumping scene in Room Where It Happens was cool!!

-Cabinet Battle #2 Burr is in the room, but doesn’t say anything during the battle. He just watches. It’s only after that he comes over and provokes Jefferson toward Hamilton

-Jefferson is like, where the hell did Burr come from?? At the beginning of Washington on Your Side

-Did George III only have jewels on one side of his trousers? Or could I just not see them from my vantage point?

-The tête à tête during We Know seemed very Burr vs Hamilton despite Jefferson and Madison being in the room

-Hamilton’s coat changes from green to black after One Last Time. Transition from cabinet position?

-The heart beat stopping during Stay Alive Reprise

-Washington reading the pamphlet during the Reynolds Pamphlet!! And the mini confrontation with Hamilton! Ouch

-Was the guy who plays William Van Ness (Burr’s second) the same one who played Lee?? If so they had turns being seconds for one another

-The shadow behind Hamilton cast by the spotlight during The World Was Wide Enough becomes the promo picture

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> This is all! I had some other notes but can't read them because my handwriting was poor or because they had been written on top of each other.


End file.
